QuackerJack, I worry about Hawks as well. My chickens seem to know when they are around, and to date, (four years now) I have not lost a chicken to a Hawk. Sometimes I think it is that the Hawks have not figured it out yet. Recently there was one actually sitting on the garden fence as the chickens hid under some hedges not twenty feet away. The Hawk sat there for a while and then flew away. Last spring I went out to let the chickens out of the coop and a Coyote trots past me, coming from a little pond I have out back of the coop. This guy, or gal, trots past me not ten feet away, gives me a casual glance, never breaks stride jumps the pasture fence and goes on his merry way. I thought, "well hell if he can clear the pasture fence he can jump into the chicken run, they are the same height, he could have chicken dinner anytime he wants". But he has not figured that out yet, I suppose, as again, I have not lost a chicken. I have not lost one (have about 15) to illness or predator in four years. Knock on wood. They are in a four foot high run when I am gone from the place and when I have my garden in during the spring and summer. Once the garden is done for the year I let them free range when I am home. They seem to know the Hawks feeding time and I will usually find them under the garden hedge row or under my utility trailer or in the equipment barn around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Once the sun is a little lower in the sky they come out and go back to ranging. The Coyote thing really worries me, because I have neighbors that keep large dogs behind four foot chain link fences so I figured my four foot high run fence would keep dogs out, and a Coyote is a dog sort of. But he cleared that pasture field fence with two strands of barbed wire across the top, without breaking stride. That fence is about 4 and 1/2 feet high. Soon as I get the time and money I guess I will have to build a higher fence. But how high can those critters jump I wonder? Anyway time for that second cup of coffee.
